As former Mayor Gavin Newsomsaid apropos gay marriage, AT&T's high-speed U-verse service is coming to San Francisco, "whether you like it or not."

Having squeaked through the Board of Supervisors on a 6-5 vote Tuesday, the long-delayed project begins its citywide rollout as early as Friday, when service is scheduled to be switched on in parts of the Richmond District.

Construction and installation of those outdoor utility boxes that stirred up so much angst will begin soon after, primarily, at first, in the Sunset District.

"We already have 30 permits in the hopper," said AT&T spokesman Lane Kasselman.

While attempts by some neighborhood groups to further delay the project via a mandatory environmental impact report was turned down by the board, the rollout is likely to be subject to fits and starts. A minimum two-year time frame is envisaged by AT&T.

That's because the company agreed to a number of constraints, including neighborhood input before permits are issued, the utility boxes installed and the service switched on.

Other parts of its "memorandum of understanding" with the city give supervisors veto power over deployment of the service in their district, should they sense overriding opposition to it.

"Now the work continues with our community outreach, working with neighborhood residents and associations to find the suitable location for our equipment. And we're excited to continue that collaboration," said Marc Blakeman, AT&T's regional vice president of external affairs.

Next moves: The broader rollout of AT&T's service, beyond the initial installations in the Richmond and Sunset, will depend very much on how the promised collaboration plays out.

"Obviously, those who clearly want it will get it first," Kasselman said. "People who want it or don't want it, or have questions and concerns, should tell us on our website. We'll meet with whoever wants to talk about it."

In other words, you can do something about it, AT&T says, if you like it or you don't.

Brain damage: Including contacting your local supervisor.

"This morning, I did a yoga class to clear my head before writing a letter to neighborhood associations in my district," said Supervisor Scott Wiener, whose district covers the Castro/Noe Valley/Diamond Heights area.

"I'm trying to make sure people understand what (Tuesday's Board of Supervisors) vote means."

Wiener, who had been shuttling back and forth between AT&T and skeptical neighborhood groups for the past several weeks, was himself on the fence before ultimately voting in favor of the project moving forward.

"I really don't like the boxes, but when push came to shove, I decided that (environmental impact appeals) could not be used in this case. We have a sordid history in San Francisco of using EIR to delay and kill good projects."

He also knows that he now has the power to kill U-verse in his district, a prospect, given the cacophony of voices likely to rain down around his ears, that doesn't exactly fill him with joy.

"It's going to cause me a lot of brain damage and a lot of heartache. But brain damage and heartache are part of a San Francisco supervisor's job."

News U can use: AT&T's website has, and will continue posting, contact and other information about the project, including neighborhood meetings and the texts of the agreements the company has struck with the city: sfg.ly/oMPMK2.